Communist Protesters Throw Red Paint on Clinton’s Motorcade

Protesters threw red paint on vehicles in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s motorcade in the Philippines today. The demonstrators also blocked the convoy and forced it to change course.

Clinton had just left a meeting with the country’s president, Benigno Aquino III, at the Malacanang Palace when, according to a local news channel, several dozen activists ran past police and tossed paint on the cars.

According to Aksyon News, the youthful, left-wing protesters kicked the vehicles as local police tried to arrest them.

The news report said Clinton’s security force got out of the cars to block news photographers from covering the incident, and the convoy eventually turned back into the palace.

A State Department official traveling with Clinton confirmed the incident but downplayed it.

The official called the event “not a big deal in an email to ABC News. The official said Clinton’s vehicle was not hit with paint.

This is not the first unscripted moment on this trip.

On Saturday a man who appeared to be a local performer ran past Clinton carrying a torch and wearing nothing but a loincloth during her photo op with the chief executive of Hong Kong.

Clinton laughed that incident off. This time it appears her security took the breach more seriously.